Press Release 6/2/04
HBA Reunion II Recap: A Basketball Memorial Weekend

Session I - Friday, May 28th
HBA would not be HBA without the signuatre player statistics. Mike Sheehan (Blue) and Ken Chen (Orange), two veterans of stat-taking, partake in the underappreciated, yet time-honored HBA duty.
The first HBA Reunion took place two years ago on the first weekend of June to bring together the players who had participated in the Hoching Basketball Association as high school students in 2001. At the first Reunion, over thirty players showed up as seven teams battled for the tournament title. The Blue team, a vertically challenged team consisting of 5-1 Welton Chang, 5-6 Reggie Soang, and 5-8 Peter Kang, overcame teams led by Chris “Doc” Healey, the legendary Victor Chia, and Rishi Laroia to capture the title. Two years later, the second ever Reunion, consisting of over twenty players and five teams, promised to bring together those who participated in the 2003 HBA Summer League while also inviting several new players to enjoy the unique HBA experience.

The new players’ influence on Reunion II was felt immediately. Red team struggled early without the 6-4 Satvik Patel, brother to last year’s league playoff MVP Neeraj Patel and replacement for the ailing Doc Healey, who was diagnosed on Wednesday with mono. Red stayed close in several games, but never sealed the deal and went 0-7. Mark Kiang, the 6-3 center who played on his 23rd birthday, led Orange team to a 4-3 record despite less than stellar contributions from his teammates. Rishi Laroia, whose last HBA action was during the first Reunion, led his Gray team to a number one seed with an impressive record of 6-1. Gray also benefited from the scoring of third player Peter He, whose 4.4 points per game and 36% shooting percentage outdid any other third player in the tournament. Blue team, with the core of Peter Kang, Reggie Soang, and Mike Sheehan intact, got extra size with the addition of 5-10 forward Albert Chung. They placed second and recorded impressive wins against Red (with Satvik Patel) and Mark Kiang’s Orange. Last year’s HBA Champion White team, with only Neeraj Patel and Jeff Hsieh remaining from the original team, finished a disappointing fourth. John Tso, the injured forward (sprained ankle) on White team, cheered for his team from the sidelines.

Session I produced an instant HBA Classic in a thrilling 8 OT game between Red and White. White's Chris Su guards Andy Chou, who set the all-time single game assists record with eleven.
When roughly half the games were played, a thunderstorm forced play stoppage for an hour. Afterwards, arguably the greatest game in HBA history was played between White and Red, with White winning after eight overtimes, 20-18. Red’s Andy Chou finished with a record 11 assists, while White’s Jeff Hsieh set the single game record for HBAP with 88, topping Doc Healey’s 77 HBAP set in last year’s summer league, which was attained in a conventional 11 point game. Despite this emotional win, White team’s Neeraj Patel and Jeff Hsieh had little else to celebrate due to injuries to their third player Chris Su. Su, who was knocked down on the black curb, injured his knee and hand, forcing White to play with substitute players Jesse Chang and Arvind Chandran. White quickly lost to Orange and Blue, enraging the defending champions and endangering the safe, happy atmosphere of the tournament up to that point.

Mark Kiang, a big man with great agility and skill, was unstoppable for most of his games, but his teammates were often inconsistent. In a game against Gray, Kiang was able to score ten points, but Orange still managed to lose 12-10. Kiang led the league with 38.4 HBAP per game after the first day, but his two best teammates Ken Chen and Tim Chang combined for only 24.5 HBAP. Regardless, Orange’s third place finish was good enough for a spot in the semifinals against the second-seeded Blue. White and Red were scheduled to play the qualifier series with the winner to take on the first-seed Gray. (HP)


Session I Image Special: Players Remain Unfazed by Rain
Jeremy Doodanauth and Jeff Hsieh show their indifference to the wetness as they practice jumpers in the pouring rain that delayed HBA play for 30 minuntes. HBA Commissioner Peter Kang implements Mark Kiang's suggestion to use newspapers to dry up the court quicker. Kang chose New York Times for the task. The last game of Session I, between Blue and White, was played against the backdrop of a beautiful Hidden Park lit by evening sunlight.



Session II - Saturday, May 29th
Day II began with White squeaking out two 12-10 wins over Red to qualify for the four team bracket. White’s new third player, the 6-1 DJ Park from Holmdel, NJ, was a huge improvement (21.2 HBAP) over Arvind Chandran (13.0 HBAP) and Jesse Chang (0.0 HBAP). Satvik Patel (30.9 HBAP) showed much promise in his HBA debut, but with veteran teammate Jeremy Doodanauth, was unable to knock down crucial shots late in the game to win against his older brother’s White team.

Rich Park (Gray), who drove an hour from South Jersey to participate in HBA Reunion II, was instrumental in helping Gray attain the top seed, but his absence in Game 3 against White may have been the deciding factor in Gray's early exit.
After the initial series, Orange faced Blue in one semifinal while Gray faced White in the other. Kiang dominated offensively and Orange won the series 2-0 (11-7 and 12-10). Orange played more cohesively with the absence of third player Ed “Professor” Liu, who ran off the court in Session I after Kiang reprimanded him for taking a shot after Kiang had made seven in a row. However, Tim Chang and Ken Chen stepped up their play dramatically, especially on defense, hounding Blue team superstar Peter Kang to only 3 for 14 shooting in the first game. Although Blue stepped up its defense on Kiang in the second game, Chang and Chen picked up the scoring slack and made crucial baskets to advance to the finals. In the other semifinal, Gray and White each won the first two games, forcing a first-ever deciding elimination game in a HBA series. In a questionable move, Gray sat Rich Park—perhaps to rest for the finals—versus an already tired White team. The gamble seemed to work as Gray jumped out to an early lead behind several nice moves by Rishi Laroia, but White stormed back to 9-10. Gray’s Peter He, positioned wide open under the hoop, missed a key game-point lay-up. Neeraj Patel and Jeff Hsieh were able to score the next three points to send White to a second ever HBA Championship series.

In the Championship series, Mark Kiang (Orange) limited the 2003 MVP NeeraJ Patel and scored big to lead his team to a title.
In the finals, a rested Orange proved too much for weary White team. Behind the unstoppable post moves of Mark Kiang, Orange won both games with ease, 11-3 and 11-6. Kiang defended Neeraj Patel well while Orange’s perimeter defenders limited Jeff Hsieh’s opportunities to shoot the ball. White's DJ Park, who started the day off hot including a five-point performance against Gray, was hampered by fatigue as his shots came up short when most needed. Orange captured its first ever HBA Championship title, and Mark Kiang was named the MVP of the tournament. The team celebrated with the HBA Reunion tradition of popping champagne bottles.

With HBA Reunion II in the books, few questions remain. Would Red have fared better with the proven Doc Healey? Would White have made it into the semifinals without DJ Park? Would Gray have won if Rich Park played in game 3? Would they have beaten Orange in the final? Those questions will have to wait until next year. (HP)


Session II Image Special: Shooting Superstars
Rishi Laroia's consistent play throughout the tournament allowed Gray to be the top seed after Session I and also brought Gray one shot away from advancing to the finals. Satvik Patel (Red) shoots over his brother Neeraj Patel (White) in what quickly developed into an intense rivalry throughout the tournament. Peter Kang (Blue) who has played basketball with Mark Kiang (Orange) in college the past three years, could not capitalize on the home-court advantage.


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